EA SPORTS™️

The objective

Launching a new title in the MENA region

Global game publisher Electronic Arts was looking to launch EA Sports FC™️ Mobile, a tactical football (soccer) game, available on iOS and Android.

The game's monetization model is based on in-app purchases, enabling players to buy team upgrades for their squad.

For the launch of EA Sports FC™️ Mobile in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Electronic Arts set its sights on the Saudi Arabian market. The decision was rooted in the country's robust purchasing power and the widespread passion for football among its population.

The brand's objective on TikTok aligned with its broader launch goal: to reach and engage as many potential players as possible.

The solution

Reaching and engaging audiences with Branded Effect and Branded Mission

EA SPORTS™️ employed a mix of branding solutions to launch the new game, including Branded Mission, Branded Effect, TopView, and Spark ads. The campaign unfolded in several stages.

First, a Branded Effect was designed to mimic a crucial aspect of the game. In EA Sports FC™️ Mobile, players can acquire Ultimate Team Packs—card packs that allow users to collect their favorite football stars and integrate them into their in-game team. The Branded Effect replicated the appearance of these cards, enabling users to showcase themselves as if they were the featured players.

Next, EA SPORTS™️ enlisted three influential sports-related creators to showcase the effect to their audiences. This creator content was amplified through Spark Ads to garner heightened visibility, generating initial interest for the subsequent stage: the Branded Mission.

Branded Mission is a TikTok ad solution that allows advertisers to crowdsource authentic content from creators and turn top-performing videos into ads. Creators were encouraged to use the Branded Effect, fostering genuine enthusiasm for the game across the platform.

A diverse assortment of creators spanning football, sports, and entertainment participated in the Branded Mission. They infused their unique touch by wearing jerseys of their favorite teams, replicating recognizable player hairstyles, or emulating the celebrations of beloved players.

EA SPORTS™️ complemented the Branded Mission with the hashtag #انضم_للنادي (translated as "join the club" in Arabic) and used TopView ads to broaden the campaign's reach.

The results

Creating awareness and engagement

The campaign for EA Sports FC™️ Mobile launch generated a total of 88.57 million video views across all campaign paid assets, surpassing the market benchmark. It also drove more than 424,000 hashtag engagements, likes, comments and shares.

Notably, the campaign spurred the creation of over 3,800 videos using the designated hashtag, higher than the market benchmark. The participation criteria for this campaign aligned with popular trends on the platform, and created a low barrier to entry to facilitate user engagement.